On Monday morning, June 28th, under the theme “The Square Root of Success is Us”, forty-four Grade Six students of the Orealia Kelly Primary School, graduated at a colourful ceremony with shades of maroon and pink. The venue of the grand event was the Church of God (Holiness).
The Principal, Mrs. Marcia Brooks, said that although the school was saddened to see the graduates leave, it was happy that they had completed their milestone in their education.
Ms. Brooks said in part: “It gives me great satisfaction to be able to stand before you and celebrate with our students amidst such trying times. For the graduating class, this ceremony marks the culmination of years of hard work, the actualisation of goals attained, and successes achieved. Many of us are experiencing mixed feelings as we send forty-four of our students to a new environment. We are sad to see them go, but we are happy that they have completed this phase of their education.”
She went on: “The theme of the ceremony is “The Square Root of Success is Us”, and it was coined by the graduates themselves. Relative to that theme, she defined particular characteristics of the graduates’ success such as accomplishments through their teamwork and togetherness, pride in their future, and their commitment, hard work and perseverance.
Prior to the presentation of certificates, gifts and special awards, the Keynote Address was delivered by the 2018 Valedictorian of the school, Mr. Michael Caragliano. He cited the many challenges that might have attempted to hinder their future successes and advised: “The life of a student is full of ups and downs. Graduates, do not forget that there are obstacles and hindrances on your way to success. The choices that you make will determine whether you succeed or fail. Never choose the easy and confortable path. The harder your circumstances are, the more successful you will be destined to become.”
Certificates were issued to each of the 44 graduates, while special awards were presented to high-achieving students. Besides, each graduate was presented with a laptop computer, thanks to the sourcing efforts made by members of the Graduation Parenting Committee who were diligent in raising the funds.
Following the presentations, the Valedictorian, Miss Christen Fleming, was introduced by Teacher Shirlene Hodge. One of the highlights in Miss Fleming’s speech was her reference to the fears that the graduating class experienced from pre-school to primary school.
She noted: “Some of us played brave as we looked forward to coming to the ‘big school’ at age five. But when we got here many of us forgot to be brave and cried…But Orealia Kelly became the place where we conquered our fears and overcame our challenges. Orealia Kelly provided us with that stepping stone on our journey toward success.”
Well known author and poet, Teacher Patricia Adams, was the writer of this year’s graduation theme song, “It’s Up to Us”. In fact, this was the 18th theme song that Mrs. Adams had penned. A former teacher at Orealia Kelly Primary, she was on hand to immaculately direct the graduates into the radiant singing of “It’s Up to Us”. Following the song, she was presented with a token of appreciation and was commended for her diligent work at the school.
The Orealia Kelly Primary School this year prided two 2021 Salutatorians namely Cayson Caragliano and D’dray Neckles. At the end of the ceremony, they both delivered the Vote of Thanks. The graduating class of 2021 was then introduced by the school’s Principal, Ms. Marcia Brooks.
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
